Fantasy WR Rankings Week 6: Who to start, sit at wide receiver in fantasy football

This week, we have some of the top studs with some of the juiciest matchups possible. It feels good to finally have more reliable stats with which to make decisions on who to start, but with the bye weeks here, things aren’t necessarily getting any easier. As always, our Week 6 fantasy WR rankings will take all the data points into consideration to help you with those important start ’em, sit ’em calls.

The notable wide receivers on bye include Corey Davis, Calvin Ridley, and Deebo Samuel. Just three worthwhile WRs on bye is about as good as it gets for fantasy owners, so enjoy it while you can. Most weeks are going to have at least six key WRs out of action. 

WEEK 6 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett (@ Steelers) face an interesting matchup this week, and the presence of Geno Smith under center doesn’t figure to help their causes. It’s tough to bench either, especially Metcalf, but Lockett will be on the start-em, sit ’em bubble. The same could be true with whoever is active for the Giants if Mike Glennon is starting in place of Daniel Jones (concussion) against the Rams. The Giants WR corps gets thinner every week, but if everyone is healthy, we assume the pecking order will be Sterling Shepard (hamstring), Kenny Golladay (knee), and Kadarius Toney. 

WEEK 6 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Among attractive borderline receivers, Emmanuel Sanders and Cole Beasley (@ Titans), DeVante Parker and Jaylen Waddle (@ Jaguars), and Michael Pittman Jr. (vs. Texans) all have juicy matchups. Guys like Sanders and Waddle are more valuable in standard leagues given their deep-play potential, but they all have PPR upside.

In deeper leagues, Tim Patrick (vs. Raiders), Robby Anderson (vs. Vikings), and Zach Pascal (Texans) draw some appeal. Anderson has burned fantasy owners this year, but in deep leagues, the potential for a long touchdown against a struggling Vikings’ secondary is about all you can ask for in standard leagues. Chase Claypool (vs. Seahawks) has a nice matchup on paper, but given the way he had struggled this year prior to his Week 5 breakout, he’s still a bit risky. If JuJu Smith-Schuster (shoulder) is out, Claypool looks better.

A.J. Brown (vs. Bills) and Julio Jones (vs. Bills) face Buffalo, who had given up the fewest point to fantasy WRs heading into Week 5. Brown is a must-start, but you can use caution with Jones if he’s active coming off of a hamstring injury. Marquise Brown will face the Chargers, who have been a top-three defense against WRs. Lamar Jackson has been a much better passing this season, but this matchup is scary enough to consider parking him on the bench. Of course, Brown’s production has been great, so you may opt to just roll with him.

The big worry at this position is the preseason studs who have disappointed more often than not. Allen Robinson (vs. Packers) is the biggest example, but Brandin Cooks (@ Colts) is also starting to struggle. It’s tough to bench either because we know how big their upsides are, which is why we still have them ranked in the WR3 tier, but plenty of fantasy owners will want to bench them.

As mentioned earlier, the WR position is deep enough to not be decimated from bye weeks, but even in a “mild” bye week, it might be tough for many teams to find three reliable options. Moving forward, a lot more studs will be unavailable, so let this be a reminder to be savvy on the waiver wire and plan ahead.

We’ll be updating these WR rankings as needed throughout the week, so check back for the latest changes and analysis. 

​Fantasy WR Rankings Week 6: Who to start at wide receiver

Rankings based on standard, non-PPR scoring